


Thedas 2.0

by ymeer



Series: Thedas 2.0 [1]
Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Romance, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-20
Updated: 2015-01-31
Packaged: 2018-03-08 08:29:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3202502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ymeer/pseuds/ymeer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Garrett Hawke dates Anders who dates Fenris who dates Hawke and vice versa.<br/>Feat.:<br/>-modern thedas AU (with technology and stuff. I'll elaborate on the AU later on once I've got more written)<br/>-trans characters<br/>-fluff<br/>-everyone gets a pet and they all get crammed into a small apartment with 2 dogs and 3 cats.<br/>-all the benefits of a modern AU without losing the magic and the elves etc.<br/>-an irresponsible author who has trouble finishing things I start</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dating a Book

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter One:  
> -matchmaker Bethany  
> -irresponsible Garrett Hawke who lives in a mess of an apartment and forgets to drink his coffee while it's hot

The leaves outside were beginning to turn various colors of orange, yellow, and brown as Garrett Hawke read the newspaper in his small apartment. He hadn't made much of an effort to clean, despite the fact that he was having a visitor, and he lounged around in his boxers with a cup of lukewarm coffee as he browsed the paper. Ferelden Times wasn't exactly the most reputable source, but it was renowned for its fantastic media reviews. Bored, the Ferelden flipped to the review section of the paper just as his sister opened the door.  
  
Bethany had owned a key to Hawke's apartment ever since he'd started living there. He'd been nonchalant about giving her a key, but she knew he appreciated having someone look after him. Time and time again, that was exactly what she did. This time was no exception.  
"You're in your underwear." She observed critically, slinging her purse onto a countertop as she walked into the bedroom. After a minute of frustrated groaning, she returned with a clean pair of pants and a button down shirt. "Get dressed, Garrett, you're going on a date."  
Mid-sip, Garrett Hawke spit out his coffee. Thankfully, the only person around to see him do it was someone who already had seen him humiliate himself multiple times, so it wasn't as traumatizing as it could have been.  
  
"A date? Bethany, if you set me up with one more of your friends, I'm going to implode. You know, the last one texted me for a week after that disaster of a party." He began rambling, getting up and putting his pants reluctantly.  
  
"Stop worrying, I know for certain that this is going to turn out perfectly." Bethany grinned, walking over to her purse and pulling out a paperback. It took Garrett a second or two to recognize the cover, and he walked back over to his newspaper, opening up the page.  
  
"You got me a date with a book? I mean, sure, it's a well reviewed book, but I don't think I've sunk _that_ low just yet." Still, he walked over to the book, picking it up.  
  
"It isn't with the book itself, it's with the _author_." Bethany was practically bouncing on her toes by the time she revealed the news, and it was obvious she was more than a bit proud of herself.  
  
Garrett did a double take. It wasn't everyday he ended up dating the author of a popular yet controversial book. In fact, it wasn't everyday that he even went on a date, or had someone to call for a date, or anything in the general vicinity of dating. Deciding that wasn't exactly the best train of thought to go down, he turned to his sister, the look he was giving her was enough to signify that he wanted more information on the situation.  
  
"Gotcha." If anyone looked at Bethany right now, they would have guessed she was the one going on a date with a famous author, not Garrett. "It's tonight at that pizza place. Try not to act like too much of a dork, alright? You also might want to read the book."  
  
Garrett leafed through the book, a frown appearing on his face as he read the chapter titles. "This is about mages, Bethany. Are you sure you want _me_ going on this date? This guy might be a little more interested in someone like you."  
  
Bethany laughed a little bit, shaking her head. "Nope. I've talked to this guy, alright? I help him with...some stuff. Anyways, he's my friend, I'm not going to just start dating him. Too high maintenance, if you ask me. Three cats..." She shuddered a bit, but if she had truly thought the author was too much of a pain, she would have never suggested her brother go out with him.  
  
Garrett was already sitting back at his spot in the kitchen, his feet propped up on an adjacent chair as he read.  
  
"You're _welcome_ , Garrett." Bethany reminded him, writing down a number, a time, and an address on a slip of paper as she walked back towards the door. "I'd tell you to do your laundry, but something tells me you're not going to do it anyways, and also that you'd mock me for sounding like Mom. Which would be true, so..." She was lost in thought as she walked out the doorway, grabbing her purse on the way out. "By the way, you owe me a ten silvers for the book."


	2. Dating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of flirting, a few typos. I'm gonna go add some new tags. :>

Going out with people normally was nerve wracking. No matter how many times he did it, Garrett Hawke had decided that the ten minutes before a date were inevitably terrifying and at the same time exhilarating.  
  
One would've thought that reading the autobiography of a date might have cleared up any anxieties. Garrett had spent the remainder of the day after Bethany had left cleaning himself up and reading chapter after chapter of the mage's testament to the cruelties inflicted upon him by both his parents - for sending him to a traditional chantry mage school, and by the chantry itself. The book had been a whirlwhind, from tales of petty sexual escapades in the bathroom to the gritty three days the mage had spent on top of the historic school building, hiding in plain sight in a clock tower. It had been cold, and the paragraphs that described the despair that the author had felt while waiting for the templars to find him and remove him from the roof was described in a way that made even Hawke take a moment to pause and think about whether or not he could handle someone like this - if this sort of thing was described in the book, what sort of things could the mage be keeping behind closed doors?  
  
He'd leafed to the back of the book a few times to check the paragraph about the author. For the sake of anonymity, he had kept his name a bit of a secret. Or, that was what Garrett assumed, because a man named Anders would be just about as probable as him being named Ferelden, or Orlesian. 

The restaurant was a small place, very much a hole in the wall by the standards of the city. A waiter or two bustled around as guests cleared their own tables and left tips in a glass jar as clanking sounds came from the kitchen in the backround.  
  
A plackard at the doorway told new customers to find themselves a seat, and Garrett looked around, a bit anxious, trying to find someone who resembled the grainy photo that had been hastily taken and snapped on the back of the book. The other half of the author's portrait had been taken up by a duo of cats, rubbing up against the man named Anders affectionately. Hawke had never been one for cats - but maybe that was just his Ferelden heritage. Either way, it had been difficult to get a good grasp on the facial features of the man with the cats located in central view.  
  
He considered texting Bethany to ask what the mage looked like, but as he was taking out his phone, the door behind him jingled as it opened. 

It was obviously his date. Or at least, Garrett _hoped_ this guy was his date. Disheveled though he was, it was obvious that he had some sort of classic good looks - the kind that might not end up on old marble Tevinter busts, but handsome all the same.  
  
Unsure of who ought to initiate conversation, Garrett shifted his weight around on the balls of his toes for at least a minute, staring at his phone's lock screen before he realized that the man across the entryway was doing nearly the same thing, although he acually seemed to be busy, texting someone hastily as if one of their lives might have depended on it.  
  
"Are you waiting for someone?" He finally asked, looking up at the blond.  
  
The mage took a second, finishing up his frantic typing before stashing the phone into a pocket on his well-worn coat, before looking up at Hawke. "Depends, are you?" He had a lilt of humor to his voice, which convinced Hawke that he'd just been waiting for someone to speak up.  
  
"My sister set me up on this date, but the guy's late, so I think I'm just gonna leave, order a pizza or something." Garrett dared to grin a little bit, picking up some menus off the wall and handing on to the mage. "Unless you'd care to join me?"  
  
Taking the menu, Anders held out his other hand. "I'm Anders, you're related to Bethany, right?" The way he'd said his name made Garrett second guess the assumption he'd made about the name being a pseudonym. The confidence and directness made it seem like Anders really _was_ his name after all. Curious, but he supposed he'd heard stranger names.  
  
"Garrett. Garrett Hawke. Well, you already knew the last part though, didn't you. Knowing Bethany and all." He reached out, shaking Anders' hand briefly before walking into the restaurant, scouting out a table and sliding into the seat with ease. "I hope you're not a bad influence, I don't want to wake up one day to find my sister camping out on any roofs."  
  
The mage seemed surprised at the reference to his book, and he sat down, glancing at his menu for a second too long as he decided what to say. "Camping on roofs is a purely personal decision. Although, your sister might be better suited to it than you think." The moment of tension gone, Anders looked back up at his date. "I can't make any promises."  
  
After that, Hawke decided that he thought Anders was interesting. Not the type of eclectic that he thought he'd find in a mage who freely called himself apostate despite the irrelvance of the term, but instead the mage was charming. He laughed at jokes that weren't incredibly funny, but he wasn't lacking in jokes of his own. Still, by the end of the meal, when they were sharing some pie, Hawke still got the feeling that Anders was hiding something. Just like he'd kept things from the readers in his book.  
  
Shaming himself briefly for expecting the man to simply spill his flaws and secrets ona first date, Hawke leaned back in his chair. "So, you're a writer." It had been a long night - the restaurant was small and busy, which made for slow service, and they'd been slowly running out of things to say.  
"Sometimes I wonder. You know, my name's on the book, but did I _really_ write it, or did it just happen to appear fully written one day." Anders snarked, rolling his eyes a bit and taking another bite of pie.  
  
"That'd be magic."  
  
"You know, as someone with magic in your blood, I sort of thought you wouldn't be one of those who thought that magic was just this easy thing that made books appear out of thin air." Anders stated defensively. Neither he or Garrett could tell whether or not he was joking.  
  
Hawke pouted, waving his fork as he spoke. "If there ever became magic for that, I'm sure you'd still be writing it by hand. Magic not ruling over man, that sort of thing."  
  
Anders looked confused for a minute before he realized Hawke was joking. "I've never had someone recite a bit of a chant for me on a first date." He grinned. "I really hope you're not trying to impress me by pretending you've got the chant of light rolled up into a scroll and stuck up your ass."  
  
Garrett couldn't help it, he laughed a little bit, making a sort of huffing noise as he put his fork down. "I wouldn't even consider putting something like that up my ass, I'll have you know. Especially on the first date."  
  
Smiling, the mage pushed the last bite on the plate over to Hawke. "You're fun."  
  
At that moment, a waiter came up to Anders, tapping him on the shoulder. "He did it again, Anders."  
  
The mage's face sunk, and he reached over, tapping the back of Garrett's hand briefly. "I'll be right back, promise."  
  
He retreated back into the kitchen with the waiter, returning a second or so later with a more tired expression on his face. "You really need to work on your fire prevention setup back there. This place wouldn't pass a proper inspection."  
  
"Good thing we don't get proper inspection, then." The waiter grinned, it was obvious he'd known Anders for a while. Garrett wondered if they'd been involved. There was that sort of casual conversation that only came with knowing someone for a while.  
  
Anders slid into the chair in front of Hawke, who had just started taking out his wallet, planning on paying for the meal.  
  
"Don't worry about it, it's free." The mage said, tapping the back of Garrett's hand yet again. Hawke was starting to think Anders was definitely the kind of person who liked casual physical contact. "I just saved their chef a trip to the emergency room. _Again._." He sighed, and Garrett wondered how many times the mage had saved this place from a lot of unwanted inspections and painful insurance bills.  
  
"Want to walk back to midtown via the park? It's nice at night, provided you're respected enough by the locals." Anders said it like he knew he was respected by the locals, Hawke wondered yet again if his helping was a normal thing. He couldn't picture the mage just walking into restaurants and healing burns, but he couldn't really picture him doing anything aside from sitting stubbornly on roofs and walking through parks, either.  
  
Nodding, Garrett stood up, his knees knocking on the back of the chair as he walked out of the restaurant. The waiter winked at Anders when he thought Hawke couldn't see. He couldn't help but notice that Anders didn't wink back. 

"So, I'm a writer." The mage said, his coat moving every once in a while as his knees bumped against the long panels in the front. "You're...what?"  
  
"Grew up in a small farm, I'm a veterinarian ."  
  
Anders' eyes lit up. "You're a healer? Not that I have a preference or anything. I'm just saying, I could use some of your old textbooks."  
Garrett was confused. What could a mage want from textbooks.  
  
"I mean, just so I know how animals look on the inside. I get the general feel of the organs, but it's not the same, knowing how everything works from that dry, _scientific_ standpoint."  
  
"You think my work is dry, so you want to see my old textbooks." Garrett clarified, his hands in his pockets.  
  
"It's not like you're doing anything with them, are you?" Anders asked, looking over at him. Hawke hadn't noticed it at first, but the mage's hair was actually pretty long. As the night had gone on, more and more had fallen out of the tie he'd placed it in, and now the blonde strands made a frame around his face in the front.  
  
Sighing, Hawke nodded. "You bought me dinner. Least I can do."  
  
"I did _not_ buy you dinner. I was just the right man in the right place at the right time." Anders corrected him, jesting a bit.  
  
"Well, when you put it that way. I guess I _don't_ owe you anything." Hawke said, reasoning along with the logic.  
  
"Blight take you." Anders grinned, walking slower. "Street's up ahead. I need your number." He took out his phone, and Hawke couldn't help but notice that it was lit up with messages. Messages that the mage was quick to hide, which was suspicious, but not the strangest thing he'd seen Anders do that night.  
  
Giving Anders his number, Garrett looked at him again. It was true, they hadn't been bothered at all on their walk through the park. Not even by someone trying to sell caricatures to hapless tourist couples.  
  
The mage was going through his texts at a breakneck speed, replying to some and ignoring others. Hawke recognized the discreet movements of his fingers as he typed, and wondered if his typing speed had anything to do with the discreet manipulations of the hands one had to do while casting gentler spells - not the ones needed for fighting. Casual, around the house spells, that cooled hot rooms and heated meals despite the fact that they'd come directly from the freezer.  
  
"Thanks for the date." Anders mumbled, lost in his phone for a second more before he put it away. "Really. It's been ages. Bethany keeps telling me I have to get out more. As you can see, I'm busy enough."  
  
Garrett was confused. "So you're too busy for another time?" Sure, it hadn't been a perfect date. There was no immediate romance, but there was the sense that he wanted to know more about the mage - maybe find out why he kept texting people, maybe help stop kitchen fires with him. It was silly.  
  
"What? No, another time would be great. Maybe you'll choose the venue next time? Assuming you're up for a next time. After me leaving you during dessert to go and help the wait staff?"  
  
"Don't worry about it. I've got to let the dog out, call me?" Hawke asked, turning towards the street as the conversation drew to a close.  
  
"Promise." Anders nodded, looking Garrett in the eyes for a moment and giving him a kind smile before turning back to his phone, lost in the influx of messages that he was apprarently busy both sending and recieving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aka. somebody call 911 got a fire burning in the kitchen


	3. A Walk in the Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Got some kissing, got some yelling, got some confessions. This chapter's got it all, except Fenris. He comes next, promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Politics mentioned works like this: The chantry still has control over Lyrium, and mages who aren't allied with the chantry can't get any of it. It can be gotten other ways, but the chantry has used this to brand all 'apostate' mages as criminals and lyrium smugglers, making it more difficult to get a job. 
> 
> heads up for mentions of death and needles

It had been months, and Garrett started to see changes around his apartment. It wasn't easy to notice at first, but as drafts of something called a Manifesto started to line up on his bookshelves, and as his dog Maru started expecting cat treats to be brought over as much as dog treats, Hawke realized that things had indeed changed.  
  
Anders had noticed it too, of course. Before, he'd spent his time online, typing feverishly to his contacts, and healing strangers who looked like they'd needed help. It was a life he was used to. After all this time, however, the mage finally found something unfamiliar in his time with Garrett.  
  
The second date had gone well, there were no fires this time, and the two of them had split the bill. Hawke had expected Anders' wallet to be full of cash, but he'd ended up flushing, a bit embarrassed, as his date rummaged around in his pockets for spare change when it came time to pay his part of the bill.  
  
The third date had been the fime they'd really kissed, after the conversation that Hawke had really been waiting for - the one where Anders showed some of what he'd kept from his books.  
  
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・  
  
Garrett had reread Anders' biography, and then he'd gone online to see what other sort of information was available about the mage. After all, he'd been open enough in his book, Hawke just wanted to know what he did during their dates, typing on his phone and worrying the buttons on his coat while they waited to be served.  
  
He'd been led to a website. It was somewhat crudely constructed, and it was made to be difficult to find unless someone was desperate. Unlike most other websites, the first link on the top bar was the "Contact Us" link, which led to an email address and a phone number he recognized well. There was no doubt now that this was Anders' website.  
  
It was an organization of sorts, although something like this probably never would get any official recognition. Anders' had been subjected to a great deal of suffering because of his parent's beliefs. The Circle Academy in Ferelden was one of the more lenient of "solutions" for a child born with magic. Garrett had always been aware of the way mages were treated - he'd been dealing with Bethany and her magic for years. There was always a look they got on the streets, and when they walked by a chantry, Bethany would quietly and discreetly cross the street - not wanting to hear anything about how she was destined to become an abomination without the aid of the maker.  
  
Anders had come up with another solution. It was a network of older mages, all self-identified apostates. It was a title that all of them wore with pride. Some of the other links were instructions on how to navigate the fade, how to recognize a demon, different subsets of spirits and demons, and ways to pretend one was not really a mage.  
  
One of the links was titled Running Away, and it started out sounding like a personal letter, not something one would just put up online. 

"If you're visiting this page, you should know by now that you're not alone. I don't know how bad you've had it, or if you're trying to figure out where your child went, or if you're trying to figure out what sort of bad things you can say about me to justify why someone might have left you for a better life. 

If you're like me, know that it's okay to be scared. This is all scary - the way we have to deal with this after all this time. But with our suffering comes a great deal of strength as well, and a sense of solidarity between mages that cannot be known by anyone else. 

You're strong to have made it this far. I know many who haven't. 

Below are links to maps of bus routes, of youth hostels across the country, of farms that I have known to harbor runaways for work in rural areas (for those that are 16+). If you are unsure, or if you think you must turn to more drastic measures, please text me. 

My number can be found at the Contact Us tab at the top of the website. Please send me a message telling me your name, your predicament, and your hopes for the future. I'm excited to meet you, thanks for trusting me this far. If you're in need of immediate help, please call the Mage Hotline, which is better staffed and will get back to you faster. Otherwise, if you're looking to find a place to stay, I can contact one of my friends and see if they can offer you a safe place on their couch until you get your feet underneath you. 

Thank you.  
-Anders"

Garrett sat back in his seat, reading through the various links that led to work-for-stay farms and bus maps. _Anders_ had done all of this. Hawke wasn't sure whether to be afraid or simply proud. Knowing that Anders was busy helping hundreds of young mages find their place in the world without Chantry influence was humbling, and terrifying. This could likely get the mage in a great deal of trouble, couldn't it?  
  
It was on a walk through the park after the date that Garrett had found out. They'd been strolling along, holding hands for what might have been the first time, when they came across a group of people crowded around a woman standing on a park bench. It was midday, they'd gone out for lunch, and the park was more crowded than the first time they'd been there. 

"Magic shall not rule over men! Man must rule over magic, and therefore, over mages!" She bellowed, holding a sign with what looked like a hunk of pure lyrium with a red X drawn across it. Her mangled line from the chant of light seemed to be entertaining people. An elf across the crowd had picked up her phone and was filming the woman as she preached. "If we release lyrium trade to these _abominations_ in the making, there will never be peace in Thedas!"  
  
Anders was uncomfortable. Hawke could see it in the way he started to bite his lips, and the way he was holding the other man's hand a bit too tightly.  
  
"Go fuck a genlock, lady" shouted a voice from the crowd. It sounded suspiciously like one of Bethany's friends.  
  
"Let's go." Garrett suggested, trying to tug Anders away from the crowd, but if anything, the mage was taking careful steps forwards. "Anders?"  
  
"What do you have against us?" His voice resounded over the crowd - it was a voice made for speaking loud and with passion, clear and forceful. "Mages who are unable to replenish their mana end up dying - making lyrium available to the public would ensure that no mage would die because of lack of access to lyrium again."  
  
The woman froze. It was clear she hadn't heard anything of Anders' argument - one that was founded on one of the arguments he'd made in his book. One of the mage's friends had been attacked by a gang, he'd been walking down the streets and didn't have anything to defend himself aside from his magic. Firing spells left and right, the man had managed to fight all of his attackers off, but his mana had been fully drained, past the point of no return, it had been called. Lyrium was connected to the fade, it was mana and magic in its pure form, it could have fixed the exhaustion that led to death which Anders' friend had experienced, but instead, labeled as a mage outside of the Chantry's rule, Anders' friend had died slowly in bed, helpless. He had been unwilling to subject himself to a life of working on one of the very schools that had tortured him growing up, kept caged like an animal for the rest of his life. When Hawke had read that chapter, the message he got was mostly that Anders felt the same way. He would die before he joined the Chantry. 

  


"Mage." She said coldly, staring at the man who was still holding Hawke's hand. Garrett wondered if he should let go, but then he realized that if he did, he'd be saying that he was ashamed of Anders' argument, and he knew he wasn't.  
  
" _Well_? Why are you so full of hate that you find yourself out here, on a bench, yelling at those of us who are just here for a walk through the park? I demand an answer." Anders was full into his debate stance, he was clearly furious, although it wasn't clear if he was mad at the woman, or just everything she stood for.  
  
"Do not speak to me, you may yet taint all of us with your corruption. For all we know, you are possessed, a blood mage, waiting to strike." The malice in the woman's tone was palpable, and the crowd was starting to peel away, going back to their daily lives. For as fun as it was to watch a heretic yell at a crowd, it wasn't fun watching a debate between two people so set in their ways.  
  
Anders shuddered, Hawke's hand was likely bruised by now.  
  
"What of you? Serah? Why do you associate with one of his kind?" It took Garrett a moment before realizing that she was talking to him.  
  
"I.." Anders looked at him, eyes full of worry that Garrett would end up saying that he didn't want to be around. "I'm here because I want to be. I'm lucky to know someone like Anders. Even with all the nugshit you've been spewing, if you fell of this bench, he'd probably heal you all the same. That's why." Hawke was proud of himself, and he gave Anders' hand a quick sqeeze, meeting his eyes for a brief second before staring back at the woman.  
  
The woman scoffed, looking Anders in the eye before turning around on her bench, her back facing the couple. "This mage is using blood magic, swaying one of us to his corrupted work! Beware!"  
  
Anders sighed, taking a step back. "It's hopeless, people like her will never see. They will never understand." His grip on Hawke's hand had loosened a bit, and he looked down at his feet. "Thank you for that, back there. You think too much of me."  
  
"No I don't." In that moment, Garrett was pretty sure he was right. "I found your website. I know you'd heal her. You might add a little static electricity in her hair, so that whenever she touched someone, they'd get a little shock, but you'd heal her."  
  
The mage laughed, stepping closer to Hawke so he could rest his shoulder up against the brunette's. "That's a good one, I'll have to use that next time."  
  
They walked on in silence for a while, until Anders turned to Hawke, pulling him off the cement path and onto a small green surrounded by dense bushes. "I need to tell you something."  
  
This wasn't good. Hawke knew that this sort of thing wasn't good. Maybe he'd said the wrong thing back there after all.  
  
"She wasn't wrong. I mean, she was completely an awful person, and I hated her opinions, and the way she talked to both of us was disgusting. But you've got to know exactly what you're standing for when you tell people that I'm a good man." Anders slipped his hand out of Hawke's, his hand moving to the button on his pocket that he toyed with when he was nervous. "Remember that friend in my book? The one who talked as if he never understood everything completely and acted a bit as if he was from somewhere...else? I think I called him Jackson, something like that. I wrote him a bit boring, forgettable."  
  
Was this about a lover? Anders was right, Jackson was forgettable.  
  
"He was a spirit of Justice. His name definitely wasn't Jackson, but I couldn't go and write a book about mages saying that I'd befriended a fade spirit. Albeit, he was a fade spirit stuck in our dimension, but a fade spirit all the same." Anders was using his academic voice. It was what he did when he wanted to be detached from a discussion, or when he wanted to sound like something didn't affect him as much as it did. "I had taken a small supply of lyrium from the school when I left for the last time. It wasn't a lot, I didn't think they'd notice it, and I wanted to have it, just in case anything happened. Anyways, they decided to chase me down. Justice protected me from the templars they'd sent, but it was clear that neither of us were really going to survive in this world for very long. I think I wrote that he went off to Orlais to lounge on beaches or something. That didn't happen." Anders sighed, this was a confession that he'd rehearsed in a mirror countless times. That still didn't make it any easier. "I let Justice in. Technically, that woman was right. I _am_ possessed, although let me make it clear, I am not an abomination. Justice is not a demon, he is a spirit." Anders didn't sound entirely sure of himself, but it sounded like he wanted to believe it with all his soul.  
  
Garrett, of course, was shocked. He hadn't noticed any fade-like qualities about the mage, aside from the fact that he was a mage. "Oh."  
  
Anders tried his best to not flinch, it wasn't entirely successful, but he turned it into a little bit of a shuffle instead, sliding his feet around a bit as he spun the button around in his hand. "Are you okay? You know I couldn't have just told you right off the bat. It's not exactly the most attractive thing, you know. 'Hi, I'm Anders, want to go on a date with a possessed mage? Look no further, I'm also handsome, so it's really the whole package.'" He said sarcastically, trying to make the situation a little lighter.  
  
Remembering back to their first date, where Anders kept reaching across the table to tap his hand, Garrett reached over to the hand that wasn't fiddling with a button, causing Anders to look surprised, although he cleared the astonishment from his face quickly, taking Garrett's hand.  
  
"I still mean every word I said back there, Anders." If there was anything he'd learned from his short time with the mage, it was that he really liked good heartfelt confessions.  
  
Anders blushed, nodding. "Thank you, Garrett."  
  
"Mind if I kiss you?" Hawke asked, giving the mage a bit of a scandalous smile.  
  
"Not at all." Anders smiled, leaning in for a kiss.  
  
It wasn't the mischevious sort of kiss that Hawke had led Anders to believe by his facial expressions. It was gentle and slow, and Anders kept holding onto Hawke's hand as he moved his other one from his pocket up to the other man's shoulders, pulling him closer. Hawke could feel Anders' warm breath on his face after they kissed, and he looked the mage in the eyes, enamored for a short second before he stepped back.  
  
"I'm going to go home. You've never been to my apartment before, have you?" Garrett asked, a little ashamed of himself.  
  
"Nope." Anders ran his hand through Hawke's hair before stepping away, still leaving their hands connected as he looked across the small space between them. "Am I going to have to meet your dog?"  
  
It had been made clear that Anders was a cat person, but Hawke wasn't going to give up on him yet. He wanted to cuddle with his boyfriend and his dog in the same bed, and he'd make it happen eventually. "Don't worry, he's nice."  
  
・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・  
  
Months since that day, and Hawke was back in his apartment. He still hadn't gotten Maru and Anders on the bed together, but it would happen one day. They'd be laying in bed watching some late-night sitcom, and it would happen. He was a man determined.  
  
For now, though, he was determined to get Anders out of bed. Taking a break in the bathroom to brush his teeth and get rid of any morning breath, he brushed aside the needle package sitting by a sterile brown medical bottle. Having medical things around was just another part of living with Anders, not everything could be done magically, after all. When he'd learned that the stubble on the mage's chin was more of a result of the liquid in the bottle than simply of a lack of shaving, Hawke had just say there, shrugging. It wasn't a big deal, it wouldn't ever be.  
  
Satisfied that his breath was sufficiently minty fresh, Garrett walked into the bedroom, where Anders was lounging on the bed, reading over a copy of his manifesto.  
  
"Anders." Hawke said knowingly, sitting down on the side of the bed. "You just woke up. I'll make breakfast."  
  
The mage perked up at that, circling a word and writing a note on the side of the page before leaning over and giving Garrett a kiss on the cheek. "You know just how to get me out of bed. None of those rude awakenings by Maru anymore." Hawke's dog had woken the two of them up the first night Anders had stayed over by licking both of them in the face. It was something Hawke was used to - Anders had whined that the dog had ruined his morning-after afterglow. Either way, the Mabari knew to not do that to the mage again.  
  
"Depends, will you take me out to dinner tonight?" Anders asked, swining his feet out of bed - he already knew it was done. They hadn't gone out in a while, and it was their six-month anniversary.  
  
"Yes, alright. Come on." Garrett grinned before reaching under Anders' legs and lifting the mage up off the floor. It was easy enough to do, and, carrying the other man through the doorway, he leaned down for a kiss, wondering where they'd go that night.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The bottle mentioned in the last segment of the chapter is Testosterone btw. The angry lady might be Meredith. I chose the name Maru for the Marbari because it's the name of that cat that fits itself in boxes. 
> 
> I wrote a really fast kissing paragraph but idk about writing the smut....maybe one day I'll come back and write a bunch of one shots where they're supposed to be.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter format is a bit weird so I'm sticking it here:
> 
> start of the chapter: right after the ending of the last chapter  
> middle of the chapter after the line: at some random point in time before the beginning of the chapter  
> end of the chapter after the line: continues where the start of this chapter left off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, putting sexual and romantic orientations for Anders + Hawke here:  
> Anders:  
> -pansexual  
> -greyromantic  
> -poly  
> Hawke:  
> -bisexual + biromantic  
> -poly

It was a nice restaurant, nothing like the place they'd gone on their first date. Anders had to go back to his apartment to feed his cats and clean the litter, and Hawke suspected that the mage also had to get access to his computer for some of the more high-profile things he was working on, but they met up at seven, both trying to look composed and yet not as if they were trying too hard. 

After breakfast, Garrett had spent his day preparing for what he hoped wouldn't be too much of a shock to the mage. The couple living in the apartment above his was moving out - it had more space and a seperate office where the mage could do his work. Along with that, the room could be completely his - Hawke had learned that sometimes, Anders just needed to be alone with his computer, writing with a fountain pen. He never asked what the mage was writing - it was obviously personal, and after a lot of time, Garrett had decided it was some sort of diary or catalog. Something where Anders could write his feelings out without feeling as if he needed to publish them. It was always clear when he'd written, for every time afterwards there would be splotches of black ink over his hands and smeared onto his face where he'd forgotten his hands were covered in the stuff. Writing in such a traditional fashion, he'd explained once, was a way to really think about what one was going to say, because it required frequent pauses to dip the pen back into the ink. 

The lighting in the restaurant was low, and the two of them had a reservation - made while Garrett cooked Anders breakfast. Maru had been waiting patiently for his meal as well - as a vet, Hawke made sure to feed him only the best, which usually meant fresh cooked food. He was a Ferelden, after all, and he felt as if it was sort of his duty to treat a Mabari as a valued friend instead of a pet. Anders made his cats food as well, it seemed, and they'd had a fun discussion one night about what their various pets liked to eat. 

Anders was wearing his coat, by now Hawke knew that he rarely took it off. The relative shapelessness of it gave him a bit of room to feel more comfortable in public, and the buttons were objects on which the mage could exert his anxieties through tweaking and spinning them. He smiled as Hawke walked in the door, leaning up against the wall and turning to the hostess, who smiled kindly and showed the pair of them to their seats. 

There were a few other groups there, but the place was well staffed. Along with the host, there were three waiters, and a bartender who glowered behind the glass he was currently filling with ice. The elf looked around as if he was waiting for someone to walk through the door, and he held himself with the posture of someone constantly on guard. Which was strange, for a bartender. After all, bartenders were expected to be approachable, this man certainly wasn't. 

As Anders sat down in his chair, he looked around. "Hawke, you're picking up the check for this place." He might be able to afford a drink at a place like this, but not an entire meal. 

"I planned on it. Don't worry, Anders." Garrett fiddled with the silverware on the table, having already put his napkin on his lap. "You having a hard time lately? With money, I mean." He corrected himself. They'd been spending some time around one of Anders' friends from when he'd been on spring break from school, and she had constantly snickered every time one of them said the word 'hard', which led Garrett to be hypersensitive to his usage of the word. 

Anders snicked a bit, taking a sip from his ice water. "Isabela getting to you?" He paused, finally realizing what Hawke had been asking. His financial situation as a writer was difficult to really pin down. He made a lot of money off the book sales, but he only kept as much as he needed for his small apartment. The rest went to funding homes for mages who needed a place to stay, and for funding independent research projects that mages did outside the circle. Anders hoped that an influx of new discoveries made outside the Chantry's control would help him win support for the broadening of the lyrium market. "I'm okay. Why, are you worried about me? If I need more, I can just take some more out of my profits." He said that with a worried look on his face, and Hawke knew that the mage wouldn't really forgive himself if he ended up not being able to donate as much as he possibly could towards his causes. Indulging in his own pleasure and his own benefit was not something that Justice tolerated, apparently. 

It had been difficult for Garrett at first, realizing that Anders was connected with the spirit. Anders explained that Justice was mainly the reason he had a purpose. Before, he'd been 'a whiny sod who just wanted to cause trouble', as the mage had so eloquently put it. After they joined, Anders found that Justice wanted him to have a purpose, and his feelings about mage rights were amplified due to the spirit's enthusiasm for justice. Thus, Anders found himself writing a book, starting a webpage, and not having as much fun as he used to. 

That was why Hawke wanted Anders to have his own room in the apartment. They might sleep together, but the mage got up late at night to write, feeling as if he'd spent too much time fooling around during the day. It was something that both Hawke and Anders knew couldn't really be prevented, and although Anders had been asked by his doctor to take Melatonin, it didn't seem to affect the spirit whatsoever, and just led him to do his nightly work at a slower and more exhausted rate. 

Garrett had only seen the spirit take full control once, when they'd been out for a drink and were listening to an older couple describe the steps they'd taken to deal with their mage child to one of their mutual friends. 

__________________________________________

"Anyways, as I said, we never asked to have a child with magic. It's all in his side of the family, obviously. The magic. Imagine taking care of a child, bringing it up, only to find out that it could kill you in your sleep the second it got a little suggestion from a demon. So, we sent the blighted thing off to the Chantry, make sure it didn't hurt anyone, danger that it was." The woman had said, looking as if she was terribly burdened that her child hadn't turned out the way she wanted them to. 

Anders had hissed though his teeth. "It. She said 'it', Hawke. Is that all mages are to these people? Objects?"

Garrett had tried to calm Anders down, but he was nearly as furious as the mage was. Standing up, he grabbed Anders' wrist, hoping to bring him away from the people. Thankfully, Anders agreed, letting Hawke lead him to the bathroom. It wasn't a particularly nice bar, and two people who were clearly involved going to the single stall bathroom probably wasn't too strange of a happening, therefore nobody seemed to care. 

"Not here, fuck, not _here_ " Anders was repeating to himself, as if trying to convince himself of something. 

"Anders?" Garrett asked once they were in the safety of the stall. "Anders, look at me." Anders was breathing heavily, but the change was obvious. The spirit Justice had made itself known, and started struggling against Hawke, too furious at the moment to do anything but strain against the hands holding him back. Garrett would learn later that Anders had been trying his hardest to stop the spirit from using magic, knowing it would hurt Hawke more and could possibly injure him permanently. 

"They will _not_ treat us in this manner! How dare they treat us like this. Why do you hold us back?" Justice gritted Anders' teeth as the rubber soles of his shoes squeaked on the tile floors, trying to get traction where there was none. 

"Please, Anders, snap out of it." Garrett was thanking himself for those hours at the gym now, as he pressed his back up against the door. "Love, come on." The word seemed to cause the blue light to falter a bit, and slowly the antagonism disspated. Anders tugged himself out of Hawke's grasp, stepping to the back of the bathroom and sinking down to the floor. 

The mage was silent for a while before looking up at the other. "Are you okay?" He asked, his voice shaky. 

Hawke rubbed his arm once or twice, nodding and kneeling down on the floor across from Anders. "Are you?" 

Anders shook his head. Even with the coat, his shoulders were so low that they made him appear smaller and sunken. "Outraged at that woman for what she was saying, outraged at myself for not having better control. I could have hurt you." He bit his lip, his hand trailing down to one of the buttons on his coat to fiddle with it. 

"You didn't." Garrett reminded him, shuffling around so that he was sitting on the bathroom floor next to Anders, his back up against the wall so that they were sitting side by side. The cleanliness of the floor was an afterthought, not something that really mattered at the time. 

"I'm not ever going to stop thanking you, am I." Anders looked over at Garrett, his eyes warm and cautious, as if he was worried that the other man would tell him to leave. 

"Shh, I don't mind. It sort of makes me feel like a hero." Garrett grinned, leaning up against Anders. "Sort of like you, helping all those people." 

"Yes, well, you did it without a fade spirit messing with your head." Anders retorted, reaching out and holding Garrett's hand in silence for a few seconds before standing up, off the floor. 

"I'm going home to see my cats. I don't think there's very many people I can be around right now. Join me?" Anders said, making it clear that Garrett was one of the people who he felt safe with. 

"Certainly."  
__________________________________________

After that night, there hadn't been much of a chance to ignore the fact that Anders was possessed. There hadn't been any incedents since then, and Anders had been sure to help Hawke understand what might help him calm down, and the things he could do to keep Justice under control. Hopefully, he wouldn't find either of them in danger again. 

This night was going to be different, though. A waitress was bringing bread over to their table, and Anders was smiling, looking around at the paintings which had been hung up on the wall. They were being exhibited by some artist, and most of them cost more than his montly rent. "It's beautiful, Hawke." He murmured, reaching across the table to hold the other's hand. 

"Glad you think so. I couldn't come here and design the place myself, but I like to think I helped out. Somehow."

"Why did you ask about if I was doing well, financially?" Anders asked after eating a slice of freshly cooked bread, complete with freshly churned butter sprinkled with herbs. 

This was what Garrett was hoping for. "My neighhbors upstairs are moving."

"Are they worried I won't be able to pay for my laundry or something?" Anders asked, wondering where exactly this was going. 

"I was just thinking, maybe you'd like to move in."

"With your neighbors? Honestly, I think they're a bit prudish. Remember that time they kept knocking on the floor? We weren't even being that loud."

Garrett gave Anders a look that said _you obviously couldn't hear yourself, then_ before leaning back in his chair. "With me. In their apartment. You'd have an office and your cats would be welcome, of course. I'd have Carver put up some of those shelves, you know? The ones cats walk on. And it's got a better view, since it's over that blighted tree in the way of the street. You don't have to, it's just an idea."

Anders looked scandalized at what Hawke had insinuated, until he heard the rest of what his boyfriend was attempting to say. "You want me to move in with you. In a new apartment? How much is the rent?"

"You'd only be paying half, don't worry. It's just about what you spend, give or take a bit." Garrett clarified as he saw the mage across from him smile a little. 

"When are they moving?"

"They're in boxes right now. I've been hearing the movers go up the stairs all afternoon."

Anders was silent before he nodded, running a hand through the fringe of hair that had fallen out of his ponytail. "I'd love it, Garrett."

Hawke couldn't stop himself as he leaned over and gave the mage a quick kiss on the lips. It was chaste, nothing that would appear overly lascivious, but he hoped it was enough to say what he wanted to say. 

The rest of the meal was delicious, although Anders was bouncing in his seat for much of it. He kept planning the move in his head, thinking of what he'd want to throw out and what he'd have to keep. They both distracted themselves by watching the people around the restaurant. 

"Noticed the bartender?" Anders asked Hawke, biting his lip mischeviously as he glanced over at the elf.

"Noticed? How could I _not_ notice. Do you think this could all just be an elaborate ruse and this might just be a photoshoot. He sort of looks like a model." Garrett said wistfully. 

The bartender seemed oblivious to both of their gazes. 

"Want to pull an Aveline and see if he notices?" Anders asked, thinking back to when their mutual friend had ordered a symbolic gift for her crush, who had been incredibly confused when he'd recieved it. 

"Thought you'd never ask."

"Is there a drink named 'would you please do both of us?'" Anders asked, pouting as he leafed through the drink menu. 

Garrett frowned, shrugging. "I wish. Alright, I'm channeling Aveline right now. Red, because that's the color of hearts. So then that'd be wine, right? Red wine, and a really expensive one, because of course, he's first class."

Anders grinned, waving the waitress over. 

They would both regret that decision when the bill came, but the fun was definitely worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fenris is the bartender


	5. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a really pointless interlude that isn't relevant to the narrative. But you know, it's cuddling / hinging on smut that gets stopped. I was going to write fenris POV but instead.... we have this  
> ft . illegal gender magic

Anders found himself to be pleasantly comfortable in their new apartment. It was cosy, they all had their own space, and the only conflict - his cats - had resolved itself as soon as Hawke’s mabari had attempted to get too friendly with one of them and had ended up with a scratch on his nose. Lesson learned, the mage thought, as he looked around the room. 

 

Of course, the most comfortable thing was sharing a bed with Garrett whenever he wanted to. The Ferelden was warm, and although he wasn’t outright cuddly, Anders made up for it in sheer determination. This was the reason why he was laying on top of the other man now, contentedly resting his head on his boyfriend’s chest. Garrett’s hands were tangled up with Anders, as was the rest of him. One hand ran through the mage’s hair, and the other one rested on the small of his back, moving only slightly with every breath Anders took. 

 

“Mmmn, Garrett.” Anders mumbled, his voice warm as he looked up, resting his chin on Hawke’s chest. His stubble tickled the dark brown chest hair that lay there, but Garrett didn’t comment on it. He was used to it by now, and it was far better than the mage toying enviously with the chest hair as they cuddled. 

 

“What is it, love?” He asked, the hand in the mage’s hair stilling and coming to rest at their side. 

 

“I love you.” Anders’ eyes were perhaps the only thing warmer than his voice at the moment, as he tilted his head down and kissed Garrett’s chest affectionately. “Have I told you that? I think I have.” 

 

“Nearly every day, Anders.” Garrett paused, curious. “Any specific reason? Is it because you’re smitten with my chest hair? You can’t have it. It’s mine.” He joked, having a bit of fun on the mage’s behalf for a moment. 

 

“You’re funny. Really, I prefer it in front of me, though, not on me.” Anders, Garrett had learned, because a little delirious while cuddling. He had theories about Justice’s absence during things like this, and during sex. Anders was also just an affectionate partner, along with being a ridiculous tease most of the time. This sort of mumbling banter was typical of their cuddling sessions, especially when Anders knew Garrett had to get out of bed to go to work. 

 

“I’m relieved. Now, get off me. It’s been a great morning, but I’ve gotta go.”

 

Anders whined, looking back up at Hawke. He calculated for a moment or two before rocking his hips up against his lover, scooting up so he could bring Garrett into a kiss. “You sure?” He murmured, moving back down a bit to start kissing the other man on the neck. 

 

“Tease.” Garrett groaned, feeling Anders’ hardening length rocking up against his. “You know I can’t be late.” (The matter of Anders’ penis was actually one that they’d had a relatively drunken conversation over one night. It seemed he wasn’t actually supposed to have it, or so he’d said, claiming he was an expert at ‘illegal gender magic’, and shrugging a bit before going into a rant about the fact that some mages were able to turn into bears, yet he wasn’t even allowed to legally use a bit of modified shapeshifting on his own body. Garrett briefly remembered asking Anders if he could make it bigger at will, which just led the mage to getting defensive, saying he’d spent enough time making it look the way he wanted, and if Hawke wanted something else, he could find a suitable silicon counterpart to use on himself in his room alone.) He could feel Anders smirk a bit on his neck, while the mage just continued rocking, clearly pleased with himself.

 

“Work? Never heard of such a thing.” Anders sighed, glancing at the clock next to the bed before pouting and rolling off the other man. “But if you’re determined to leave me here alone, I suppose I can’t stop you.”

 

Garrett sat up, leaning over across the bed to Anders and giving him a brief kiss, palming the bulge in the mage’s underwear and looking a bit smug when Anders’ hips rose up, trying to follow his hand in a desperate plea for more. Sighing, he shook his head, getting out of bed and shuffling into the closet, getting dressed. “I’m planning this adoption thing at the animal hospital in a few months and need volunteers.” He said, walking into the bathroom with his tie draped over his shoulder. “You in?”

 

Anders grumbled, dragging himself out of bed and picking up a bathrobe that had been lying on the ground, slipping it on as he walked into the bathroom. “You’re bad at ties, let me help.” It wasn’t a moment too soon, Garrett had been fumbling with the decorated necktie (covered in dog bones) with little success. Anders seemed to have given up on his goal of having sleepy morning sex, and quickly stepped up behind his boyfriend, tying the taller man’s tie before running his fingers through Hawke’s hair, straightening out his bedhead a bit. “I’ll do your adoption thing, okay. Have fun at work.”

 

Garrett nodded, turning around to kiss the mage on his forehead before picking his watch off the bathroom countertop and starting. “I have to catch the train, agh, love you.” With that, he jogged out of the bathroom. Anders heard Garrett swear once or twice as he put on his shoes before the door slammed, and the mage slumped up against the bathroom door, walking into his office to start proofreading the next chapter of his manifesto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is so shameless...


End file.
